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Inspirational Videos for Educators to Use in Class

Inspirational Videos for EducatorsInspirational Videos

Check out our collection of inspirational videos and websites which highlight...
  • Students changing the world
  • Organizations that support teenagers who want to change the world
  • Inspirational stories of people changing the world
Our mission at StageofLife.com is dedicated to changing the world, one story at a time, and a big part of that is giving teachers free educational resources to inspire their students.  After watching these videos, ask your students to share their story by uploading an essay to StageofLife.com to reflect, blog or journal about how the videos inspired them to change the world (or didn't!). 

If you have an inspirational video to share, please Contact Us with the link and we'll review with our education team to see if we should add it to our list of inspirational videos below.

Let's get inspired!

Inspirational Video #1


Students Today Leaders Forever
: An optimistic group of students who engage in servant leadership to create positive life experiences.  View their inspirational video...

 
 


Inspirational Video #2

This is an inspirational video to get students thinking about what they can change about the world, and the impact they can make.  View the inspirational video...

 



Inspirational Video #3

Here's an inspirational video from a primary school in Australia...





Inspirational Video #4

We like this inspirational video about the "Power of One"...






Inspirational Video #5

An inspirational video from Esther Hicks about "the law of attraction"...


 



Inspirational Video #6

An inspirational video about famous people who failed at first but eventually succeeded. Great message: Life = Risk.  If you've never failed, you've never lived!  View inspirational video...


 



Inspirational Video #7

An inspirational video about Nick Vujicic who was born with no arms and no legs. He is a motivational speaker, and this video challenges the way we view ourselves...


 



Inspirational Video #8

The inspirational story about Dick and Rick Hoyt (a father son team who compete in Ironman competitions together)...


 



Inspirational Video #9

DoSomething.org is an inspirational organization that is uniting students across to DO SOMETHING and become the "Do Something" Generation.  Watch their inspirational video...



Do you have an inspirational video to suggest?  Contact Us and send us the link so we can review to see if it makes sense to feature here on StageofLife.com as one of our Education Resources.

Educational Resources and Free Lesson Plans

Free Lesson PlansWelcome Educators:  View our free lesson plans, writing prompts, classroom poster, mentor texts, Teacher Appreciation essays, and more...

Below you will find our collection of free lesson plans and writing prompts for Language Arts teachers and other educators interested in getting writing outside of the classroom.  The materials are designed to help you a) improve student essay writing, b) expand digital literacy skills to students by introducing blogging to the classroom, c) and at the end of the day...hopefully make a positive change in our world.

**NOTE:  StageofLife.com is a free, non-partisan, grassroots, global writing initiative.  We do not endorse any particular religion, political party, or social cause.  Because of this, you will find a variety of viewpoints submitted by students, teachers and professors in the essays and blogs on this site.  Our mission is to positively change the world, one story at a time, by becoming the world's largest collection of multi-generational stories, essays and blogs.

 


Free Writing and Education Resources:



Teen Writing Contest

Student Writing Contest

  • Encourage your students to enter our free, monthly national writing contest for high school students and college students.
  • Our essay winners have received mentions by the media including TIME.com, Mint Education, and more.
  • Essay contest topics deal with real-world issues.
  • Great practice for AP Test, SAT test, college essay writing, and more.
  • View Details, Summaries and more About Our Writing Contests
  • View Current Writing Contest
 
Writing contest for teens
  Contact Us with questions
 
 Free classroom poster

FREE Classroom Poster


  Print mini-poster now
Request FREE poster.  Registration to Stage of Life® required before poster will be mailed.
 
Introduction to Blogging Lesson Plans

Introduction to Student Blogging

  • Get the 101 on blogging
  • Digital literacy - why blogging is important for the classroom
  • View Blogging Lesson Plans
    1. Blogging Basics lesson plan
    2. Values & Beliefs lesson plan
    3. Reflection & Wisdom lesson plan
    4. Life stage interview lesson plan
    5. Food, Health & Writing lesson plan
    6. Heroes lesson plan
    7. Teen stress lesson plan
  Print blogging lesson plans Print Blogging Lesson Plans
Contact Us with ideas
 
Mentor Texts and Essay Examples

Mentor Texts

  • Use our past student essay winners as examples of Mentor Texts
  • Our teen writing winners provide excellent essay examples of authentic voice and utilizing a stylistic point of view
  • Read past writing contest winners and finalists by visiting our Teen Trends reports
  • View Mentor Texts
  Print Mentor Texts  Print Mentor Texts
  Contact Us with questions
 
Teen Trends 

Teen Trends

  • Over 80,000 teenagers and college students have visited StageofLife.com to either read or submit an essay
  • View our contest summary report on teen tends
  • Get links to thousands of our student essays - grouped by topic
  • View Teen Trends
 
  Contact Us
 
Teen Writing Workshops

Writing Workshops and Seminars for Teenagers

  • Recommended writing workshops and seminars for teens
  • Must visit websites that provide writing opportunities for students or instruction benefits for Language Arts teachers
  • View Teen Writing Workshops
 
Contact Us to add resources
 

 Essay Writing Prompts

Writing Prompts

  • Writing prompts deal with real-world issues important to teens
  • Each prompt came from previous Stage of Life national student essay contests
  • Mentor texts, lesson plans and summary pages are provided
  • View Writing Prompts
  Print Writing Prompts  Print Writing Prompts   Contact Us to submit prompts
 

How Would Teens Improve Education

 

How Would Students Improve Education?

  Print Free Goal Setting Worksheet  Print Teens and Education press release   Contact Us with questions
 
 Student goal setting

Goal Setting Worksheet

  • Help your students set goals
  • Our Stage of Life Goal Setting Worksheet can be used as an in-class activity or as a take-home assignment
  • Educators are encouraged to use it themselves as a personal or professional tool too
  • View Goal Setting Worksheet
  Print Free Goal Setting WorksheetPrint Goal Setting Worksheet
  Contact Us with questions
 
 Teacher Appreciation

Teacher Appreciation

  • View over 180 positive essays written by teens about their teachers
  • Read the five positive relationship benefits good teachers bring to their students
  • Get the latest trends on teens and how they communicate
  • View Teacher Appreciation page 

  How do teens communicate? Print Teen Communication Trends
  Contact Us
 
 

Teens Making the World a Better Place

  • Utilize our "Making the World a Better Place" writing prompt to get students thinking and writing about how they can change the world and make a difference
  • Read past student essays about making the world a better place
  • Ask your class to explore the list of student-nominated, making a difference organizations by our teen bloggers and writers
  • View Making the World a Better Place
  Be The Change lessonPrint press release
  Contact Us with questions
 
 

Inspirational Videos

  • Watch our collection of inspirational videos sourced from YouTube
  • After watching the videos, ask your students blog on StageofLife.com about how they intend to change the world or be a positive change in the world.
  • View Inspirational Videos
 
  Contact Us with an inspirational video
 
Digital Literacy

Digital Literacy - Using Blogs in the Classroom

  • Hear from our panel of experts who use blogging in the classroom
  • Get tips on how to increase your students' digital literacy by incorporating technology into the classroom
  • View Digital Literacy experts
  • View latest trends on Teen Communication
 
  Contact Us about Digital Literacy
 
Health effects of writing

Health and Writing

  • Read about the positive health effects of blogging and writing
  • Help your students reduce teen stress through journaling, blogging or writing
  • View Writing is Healthy
 
  Contact Us to add resources
 
 

Why Educators Use Stage of Life®

  • Six Reasons Educators Use StageofLife.com in the Classroom...
    1. Free
    2. Unlimited essay storage
    3. Interactive blog platform
    4. It's about the writing
    5. Customized for teachers
    6. Real World writing prompts
  • View our Educational Resources Overview
     
    Authors & Celebrities

    Authors & Celebrities 

    • Authors and Celebrities chime in to us with advice for teen writers
      • Susan Woolridge, author of Poemcrazy
      • Michael Patrick Walker, songwriter and co-author of "Alter Boyz"
      • James Kristofic, author of Navajos Wear Nikes: A Reservation Life
         Contact Us to add resources
     
     Susan Wooldridge

    Poem Writing Tips

    • Tips  for writing poetry from author of Poemcrazy, Susan Wooldridge
    • View Poem Writing Tips
     
     Contact Us to add resources
     
    Coupons for Teachers

    Coupons & Discounts for Teachers

    Check out Stage of Life's My Life Rewards® to find great coupons and discounts to help you save money inside the classroom and out!

         Contact Us to add resources

    Contact UsPlease check back often: these pages are regularly updated with new material and ideas.  Our door at Stage of Life is always open: if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to contact us!

    Education and Writing Consultant

     

    Contact Rebecca - Stage of Life blogging consultantThe above lesson plans were developed by Rebecca Thiegs, M.Ed. 

    She is the resident, educational consultant for Stage of Life and welcomes feedback on this Language Arts blogging curriculum; in particular, which parts worked best for you.

    Becky Thiegs, M.Ed

    Rebecca earned her Masters of English Education from the University of Minnesota and has spent the last 12 years teaching high school English, Language Arts, Creative Writing and Public Speaking in a wide range of schools from an urban setting in Minneapolis to an affluent suburb of Philadelphia to a rural, small town in York County, PA.  In addition to her high school teaching career, Rebecca was a senior curriculum consultant for McDaniel College as part of their Summer Enrichment Program through a partnership with the DC Success Foundation, an initiative supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  She's lived in London England, is a published essayist (one of her own blog essays from Stage of Life was published in Central Penn Parent Magazine), and is the passionate mother of two.  Rebecca is available to speak or consult on educational needs and in particular, getting writing out of the classroom.

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    StageofLife.com is a grassroots, non-partisan, free blog with a mission to make the world a better place, one story at a time. By hosting blogs, information and resources for teens, college students, Millennials, Gen Y, Gen X, and Baby Boomers, its hope is that multi-generational story telling will weave a network of wisdom from which all can benefit, with an end goal to become the world's largest collection of stories.  Blog features allow users to share and archive their life stories via their Stage of Life online journal and specialized content includes free lesson plans and writing prompts for Language Arts teachers, monthly writing contests, free ways to promote a blog, and My Life Rewards®, a free discount program for all Stage of Life users, readers and writers, dedicated to providing the best printable coupons and coupon codes tailored towards each stage of life.  Share a Story.  Save Money.

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